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Source: https://www.jpost.com/defense-and-tech/article-900268
IDF Accelerating Deployment of Robots across Frontlines
(Jerusalem Post) Anna Ahronheim - The IDF is accelerating the deployment of unmanned ground robots across multiple fronts. The Defense Ministry's Directorate of Defense Research and Development is working with civilian defense companies to design, test, and deliver new platforms. Maj. A, who oversees the development hub responsible for turning urgent operational needs into fielded systems, explained that when a request arrives, engineers gather to find a solution - manufacturing parts, procuring components or bringing in outside companies. They then run full safety and usability tests to ensure troops can operate the systems under pressure. "We have soldiers who are 18 - they know robots. They grew up with them, so when they meet these robots for the first time they know how to use them. Many reservists can learn how to use them too." The D9 Panda, a fully robotic and autonomous bulldozer, has been operational since 2022. It was recently modified to allow operators to control it from tens of km. away. The Iron Beast - a modified M113 armored personnel carrier - has become one of the most requested platforms due to widespread IED threats. Before the war, thousands of these Vietnam-era platforms were set to be sold for scrap, but the military understood that they could be upgraded and used to perform logistical support missions for frontlines forces. The army has several hundred in service and thousands still waiting to be upgraded to autonomous platforms - a process that takes several weeks.